Results 12,421-12,440 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I want to make a point because I did not respond. I know the view of the NUJ on fees generally. They have a strong and coherent view that there should be no fees, that information should be free. There are many experts in the area and Deputy Donnelly name checked some of them who hold that principled view, and it is a noble and fine view. I made a discernment from the beginning in this,...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I have been open to any amendment that has been tabled in this regard. With all respect to the representative of Sinn Féin, in terms of openness I will not take any lectures from Sinn Féin.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The people on this committee worked very hard on this legislation and have given very valuable advices to me, much of which I have taken, in respect of this legislation and other reforming legislation that we want to get enacted, such as the whistleblowers legislation and so on, before Christmas if possible. I certainly do not want the enormous volume of work done by the officials in my...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I did not go near that.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy is deliberately misconstruing what I am saying.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: One request.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I made none of those points.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Business of Select Sub-Committee (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: An enormous amount of discussion has taken place in this regard and it is one of the flagship Bills that I want to bring through to greatly expand the capacity of freedom of information in this State. I welcome the pre-legislative scrutiny this committee did and the submissions we received in regard to it. Although we will be dealing with some 90 amendments, there was, I suppose, one...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Under Section 12 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013, as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I am required to review the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts 2009 to 2013 annually. The review determines their operation, effectiveness and impact, having regard to the overall economic conditions of the State and national...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Contracts Expenditure (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together. Under a public contract the contractual relationship is between the public body and the main contractor. A public body has no contractual ties with a subcontractor engaged by a main contractor. Any contractual relationship is exclusively a matter between the main contractor and its sub-contractor. The general issue of policy...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 to 158, inclusive, together. In response to the Deputy’s questions I can confirm that, since the formation of my Department in July 2011, no payments were made to any of the companies you inquired about with the exception of the following: Company Name Year Amount Deloitte 2013 €209,541.38  - 2012   €87,330.00...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Expenditure (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The following table sets out the amounts paid to senior counsels by my Department since it was formally established. 2011 2012 2013 Total 0 71,678.25 81,508.41 153,186.66

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Procurement Regulations (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Deputy may be aware that a provisional agreement on the Public Procurement Package (Classical Directive, Utilities Directive and Concessions Directive) was reached under the Irish Presidency of the European Council. The inclusion of social considerations in public procurement procedures, specifically at the contract award stage, is an issue that is being addressed in the reform of the...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: International Agreements (12 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In response to the Deputy’s question I am not aware of any administrative burdens that would necessitate a cost benefit analysis to be undertaken by my Department resulting from the impact of Ireland signing the Antarctic treaty.

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: National Lottery Funding Disbursement (7 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: On Budget day this year, I announced additional investment of €200m from the proceeds of the National Lottery Licence transaction. This investment will be used to progress a number of additional projects and programmes in 2014 including the project to which the Deputy refers. The precise allocation of the proceeds to the Departments concerned is being determined at present and will...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Child Care Services Provision (7 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: As the Deputy will appreciate several of the specific issues raised in the details supplied for this question relate to confidential matters between an individual and a crèche and as such it would not be appropriate for me to comment or take any action potentially impinging on the contractual situation. As set out in the previous reply on this matter, arising from the decision taken to...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Polasaí don Ghaeilge (7 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: In developing a new policy approach to the Irish language proficiency aspect for recruitment to the civil service my Department - working collaboratively in particular with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht - was strongly guided by the evidence that the pre-existing approach of providing for bonus marks in all competitions for Irish language ability was clearly not achieving...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Office of the Ombudsman Investigations (7 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: The Ombudsman is legally independent and there is no statutory provision for appeals against individual decisions of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is, however, legally obliged to report to the Houses of the Oireachtas annually on the performance of his/her functions. In addition, the Ombudsman has a reporting relationship with the Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions in...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: Or expelled from. We can have a debate about that. I know the resources that a political party puts into the election of Members of both Houses. There is an expectation because there is a competition that-----

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Brendan Howlin: I did not interrupt the Senator when he was speaking. Allow me to answer. A resource is put in. There is a certain tautology involved in the notion that Senators are not political. I know that the Labour Party normally puts up one candidate on each panel. We normally put up two in the case of the Labour panel. We divide the number of councillors' votes because we expect our councillors...